This invention relates in general to golf clubs and, more specifically, to an apparatus for fitting golf club length and shaft-to-head angle to a particular golfer.
A wide variety of golf club designs are available today. Different club lengths, head-to-shaft angles, grip sizes, materials and shapes, head sizes and shapes are all available.
Different golfers have different individual physical characteristics such as height, weight, arm length and have different stances when addressing a golf ball such as differences in degree of knee bend, open or closed stances, foot spacing, etc. In addition, with putters many golfers bend over the ball differently and grip the club at different locations along the club. A wide variety of golf club designs are available. In particular, a great many putter configurations have been designed.
It is very difficult for golfers to select among the various designs, different club lengths and different head-to-shaft angles available. Since club length and head angle are interrelated in that head angle to the ground is generally less for longer club lengths for a give golfer's distance between hand position and the ground, it is very difficult to select an optimum combination of club length and head angle simple by trying a few clubs of fixed length and head angle. This is particularly true of putters where a particular "feel" is necessary both for optimum performance and maximum confidence of the golfer in the putter.
Many pro shops and sporting goods stores maintain in-store putting greens, driving cages and the like where golfers can try out different club types. Video tapes may be made of a golfer's swing to aid in selecting appropriate club designs. However, with the great many different clubs available, it is very difficult for a player to try even a representative sample and accurately compare one club with another because of the interaction of the many variables.
Even with the help of a teaching professional golfer it is difficult for a golfer to chose the ideal club to fit his or her needs. This is particularly true with putters due to the large number of putter designs available and the large number of different stances used. A player is likely to choose a putter based on appearance and "feel", even though the club length and head-to-shaft angle are not ideal for his or her build, stance, style, etc.
Thus, there is a continuing need for ways of fitting golf clubs, in particular putters, to specific players.